Summer is Around the Corner! Prepare Your Eyes

Have you talked to your Phoenix optometrist about protecting your eyes during the sunny Arizona summer?

Many people don’t think about it, but summer poses particular challenges to eye health. The increased rays from the sun can also cause increased eye damage. For the best long-term vision, you should be protecting your eyes – and those of your children! – whenever going out into the hot summer sun.

We have some tips for summertime vision protection that any optometrist would agree with.

Protecting Sensitive Eyes In The Summertime

1 – Wear UV-protective sunglasses.

Many don’t realize this, but your eyeballs can get also sunburned from too much UV exposure – and it hurts. Worse, increased UV exposure early in life has been linked to an increased chance of cataracts in later years.

Here’s something many people don’t think about: your face is a somewhat reflective surface, and extra UV bouncing off your skin will end up hitting your eyes. Good sunscreen on your face, especially on your cheeks and around your eyes, will stop reflected UV from damaging your eyes.

3 – Beware poison oak and ivy.

The oil from these “poison” vines is well-known for causing a lot of pain and itching. If you or little ones come into contact with poison vines, don’t just wash the skin; immediately wash the clothes as well. Poison vine oil on a shirt can easily transfer to someone’s face or eyes, making for a highly uncomfortable couple days.

4 – Always wear sports goggles.

Sports-related injuries are the #1 non-natural source of eye damage, and they’re almost entirely avoidable. Sports goggles are a must-have when playing any summer sports involving any physical contact or, especially, anything involving sticks or flying objects. A direct hit from a baseball or basketball can be devastating to an unprotected eye.

You only get one pair of eyes, so protect them in the summer! Or, if you have questions about summer eye safety, contact your Phoenix optometrist for more information.